Love, Misha
Imagine you’re about to be trapped in a car on a road trip with your estranged parent (who has a history of misunderstanding and misgendering you). Now imagine that road trip takes a turn into a spirit realm where you’re trapped and have to work together to find your way back. This is what is in store for Misha in Askel Aden’s debut graphic novel, Love, Misha.
Our first introduction to Audrey and Misha is as Misha says their goodbyes to family members as they’re about to embark on a three-week road trip with their mom, who seems impatient to head out while Misha is reluctant. The bond Misha has with their aunt and cousins is immediately in contrast with their detachment from their mother. Where Misha and Audrey’s relationship seems in turn contentious and awkward, Misha’s other relationships seem familiar and tender. Already, author and artist Aden has given a clue to the kind of strained relationship we are about to see unfold.
It only gets worse when Audrey presents Misha with a dress “for special occasions.” Misha is nonbinary, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of wearing dresses, and has recently given themselves a buzzcut; meanwhile, Audrey is still hoping to connect with someone she considers her daughter. For good reason, Misha is not ready to forgive their mother’s history of neglect or present insensitivity.
Their first night on the road is spent apart, Misha feigning illness to stay in the hotel room while Audrey dines out alone. What starts as a story about a teen and their parent trying to connect on a road trip quickly spins into paranormal fantasy when Audrey and Misha take a wrong turn and wind up in the Realm of the Spirits. Here they are befriended by one such spirit named Odun who offers to help them get out of the realm and back to the land of the living. But of course, Odun has secrets and a past, too.
The relationship between Audrey and Misha is at once messy and realistic with believable dialogue and fraught silences. As characters, I felt like Audrey took a while to grow on me and I think this is in part due to her lack of accountability until nearer to the end of the book. Overall, this becomes a story of forgiveness, but it doesn’t tie up into a neat ending. Characters are flawed and relatable. Besides nonbinary representation, there is a brief mention of Audrey’s past postpartum depression.
The illustrations are gorgeous and easy to enjoy. Full-page illustrations act as chapter dividers, and settings and characters are precisely drawn with smooth lines and warm tones – giving the book a cozy, dreamy feeling.
Fans of cozy fantasy like Legends and Lattes or Molly Knox Ostertag’s graphic novel The Deep Dark will likely be drawn to this book. Teen and younger adult readers seem like the intended audience, but I think a mature middle schooler or older adult would enjoy this as well.
Love, Misha
By Askel Aden
Macmillan First Second, 2025
ISBN: 9781250866226
Company Age Rating: 14-18
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation: Nonbinary ,
Character Representation: Depression
